Every law aspirant fills CLAT form to get into NLUs. But not everybody would be able to get through because of the limited number of seats.
This is why it’s important to have backup plans while preparing for CLAT. There are several advantages in doing so, such as-
You would be less anxious while attempting CLAT. I’d like to give my example here. So I only filled two forms, CLAT & AILET. And when my AILET went pretty bad on 7th May, 2017, my all stakes were now on CLAT which was going to take place 7 days later on 14th May. That made me sort of anxious while attempting CLAT as I had no backup options at all.
Also some of the exams take place before CLAT. Attempting those would introduce you to how one feels while attempting a professional exam. So while taking CLAT, things won’t be too new for you.
Law Entrance Exams in India
Now let me dive right into the topic and mention the different exam forms you could fill. So let’s get started!
AILET for NLU Delhi
Okay, this one is a no-brainer. You already know about this. There are very less seats but attempting AILET is an experience in itself. So yeah, do fill the form.
SLAT or Symbiosis Law Admission Test for Symbiosis Law Schools
Symbiosis Law Schools are good institutions, especially the one in Pune. It was established in 1977 so the alumni base is also good. I know several pass-outs of this college who are now big lawyers, Law firm partners and so on.
As far as I’m aware, the crowd at Symbiosis is good too. Let me share an anecdote. So at GNLU we get the opportunity to host teams from SLS many times for Moot Court Competition. And the people who come here from SLS performed quite good in the competitions. In fact the 2020 version of GNLU International Moot Court Competition was won by SLS, Hyderabad.
So if you aren’t getting top 5-10 NLUs, thinking about Symbiosis may be a good option.
MH-CET for GLC
This one is my personal favorite. Government Law College or GLC, Mumbai is the oldest law university of Asia with a strong alumni base. The thing I like about GLC is that students could intern right from their 1st year as they don’t have strict attendance rules.
GLC has good placement records too which is primarily attributed to the students. How? Well, they intern year long at law firms and finally when they enter in 4th/5th year, those law firms give them job offers. After all, why would firms not hire someone who is working with them as a paralegal since months.
You won’t have a good college life here, because the infrastructure is kind of non-existent. Out of 600 students batch, 200 leave after completing BA & 20% of the people aim for judiciary or civil services. Rest of the people intern at High Court or at Law firms so barely anyone attends classes.
So if you are sure about going into the corporate/litigation world, and don’t get one of the top NLUs, GLC should be first preference. It has locational advantage, almost non-existent fee and a good alumni support.
LSAT for JGLS
If you are financially comfortable paying around 8-10 lakh a month, opting for JGLS would be fine too.
The faculties/lecturers are good here and much better as compared to any NLUs. This is because JGLS is known for hiring top notch faculty from the WORLD. I know many brilliant alumni from GNLU who pursued LLM from foreign university and later joined JGLS as faculties.
Now the downsides of joining JGLS may be a-not-so-good crowd as compared to NLUs or even other private universities such as Nirma or Symbiosis. This is because their batch size is almost 400 (it’s 180 at GNLU & 60 at NLS) and many students take admission through sheer money power/donation.
So if you can afford JGLS, go for it. But make sure you perform good there to secure placements and all.
Law Entrance Test by Army Institute of Law
AIL Mohali is a difficult nut to crack, considering it only has 4 seats for civil category students. Out of a batch strength of 80, 60 seats are reserved for wards of Army Personnel, another 16 seats for Punjab state residents, leaving only 4 seats for general students.
If you belong from a family of army-men, then you should definitely try securing a seat here. AIL conducts Law Entrance Test every year and you can get more info by browsing their website.
Conclusion: Best Last Entrance Exams other than CLAT
So this is all from my side about exams like CLAT. Apart from the mentioned above, there are other good universities too such as NIRMA University Ahmedabad (it has a very good and hardworking crowd), GGSIPU & others. I haven’t written about them because I’m not aware about their placements and other important stats. But you should definitely research more if you wish.
Did you find the blog helpful? Then please comment down below, I like reading your comments on my YouTube channel and blog. All the best for your future!